Book 3: Unafraid

Candace

I trail after Hollis through the dark halls of the castle, my heart pounding. If Finn didn’t talk to me after the meeting, I would’ve let Hollis whisk me on whatever adventure he had planned for today. I never would’ve heard the story about his mother—and he wouldn’t have told it. Judging by his occasional sniffle, just talking about her uncorked something inside him. Something I think needed to be uncorked a long time ago.

My heart aches for the wistful smile he gave the portrait. I’ve got three parents, and there isn’t a painting of any of them I’d look at like that. Maybe having a before is worse, in some ways. He knows exactly what he lost—who his parents could’ve been, if he were a little luckier.

Hollis opens a door and lets me into a small sitting room. I take one of the couches in front of the dead fireplace. He stirs it to life, hesitates, then takes the seat next to me instead of one of the others.

“Do you want to keep talk